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Keto-Friendly Long Island Iced Tea

This keto-friendly long island iced tea is a deliciously refreshing drink that leaves out all of the sugars of the regular recipe. Easy to make and yummy!

Keto-Friendly Long Island Iced Tea

WHAT IS A KETO-FRIENDLY LONG ISLAND ICED TEA?

A Long Island iced tea is a type of alcoholic drink typically made with vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola. In this case, a non-sugary cola substitute.

Most versions of the drink are decorated with a lemon wedge (or lime, if you prefer).

Fun fact! The city of Kingsport, Tennessee, a short 20 minute drive from me, had a restaurant crowned the maker of the “Best Long Island Iced Tea” in 2019.

KETO-FRIENDLY LONG ISLAND ICED TEA INGREDIENTS

Before you try to make this drink, you’ll want to make sure you have the following ingredients on hand.

Now you’re ready to mix and enjoy!

HOW TO MAKE A KETO-FRIENDLY LONG ISLAND ICED TEA

  1. Add all ingredients (except the Zevia Cola) into a glass with ice
  2. Top cola and stir
  3. Optionally, garnish with a lemon or lime wedge
  4. Drink and enjoy!
Keto-Friendly Long Island Iced Tea

CHOOSING A GOOD RUM

Rum is a delicious spirit. Over the past several years, it has even been undergoing a transformation as not only an ingredient in cocktails, but as a delicious drink itself.

Having said that, there can be some major differences in different rums you may find at your local stores. Here are a few ways to make sure you are getting a good quality rum for this (and every) recipe.

KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM

Some of the best rums are still distilled in tropical areas such as the Caribbean and Latin America. These rums are generally considered to be the best.

However, rums from around the world are challenging these locations with high quality, delicious rums.

KNOW THE TYPES OF RUM

While some may only be acquainted with certain brands or types of rum, there is actually a large range.

The three most popular types of rum are: gold, white, and dark.

Light rums are: clear, have no distinct flavor, usually used in cocktails, and are aged at least a year. These make a great rum to use in your rum and coke!

Gold rums are: golden in color, have a spicy/smoky flavor, can be used in mixed drinks but often drank by itself, and are aged for several years.

Dark rums are: deep in color, very rich flavor, matured for many years.

DRINKING ALCOHOL ON KETO

Drinking alcohol while on keto is definitely doable! There are several do’s and don’ts, but you can still enjoy plenty of alcoholic drinks while staying low-carb and keto.

For tons of information about alcohol and the ketogenic diet, check out this extensive guide to alcohol on keto.

WHAT IS ZEVIA COLA?

Zevia was launched in 2007 as an alternative soft drink for those who want to avoid both added sugars and artificial sweeteners. Zevia colas contain no carbohydrates and are sweetened with liquid stevia.

There are multiple flavors of Zevia soda including grape, cola, and orange. There are fourteen flavors of the beverage in total.

Zevia is often a keto/low-carb go to because it contains a small number of ingredients in comparison to other diet soda. Secondly, it contains no artificial colorings, making each flavor completely clear.

Keto-Friendly Long Island Iced Tea

CAN I USE SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES ZEVIA?

You can, yes. As mentioned above, the reason we use and suggest Zevia is due to the fact it has the fewest amount of artificial ingredients and no artificial colors. Of course, this doesn’t make for the greatest pictures…

However you can easily use other colas for this recipe. Do, however, make sure you have used them before and they don’t slow your progress or knock you out of ketosis.

A few suggestions for a cola replacement you might use are:

  • Coca-Cola Zero
  • Diet Coke
  • Pepsi Max
  • Diet Pepsi
  • Diet Rite

You might have regional brands in your area that would work, so make sure you to check the canned drink aisle at your local grocery to see.

CAN I USE FLAVORED VODKA IF I WANT?

In short, no, you can’t. Anytime liquor is flavored, that means there are added ingredients and added carbohydrates.

Of course, when you’re aiming for a low-carb drink, any added sugars is a bad thing.

Distilled liquor has zero carbohydrates per ounce. Distilled liquor with flavoring can run anywhere from 2g of carbs to 11g or more. Some flavored vodkas even tout that they are low-carb or no-carb, but I’d be skeptical.

The easiest thing to remember is no flavoring equals no carbs. If you use this when you’re buying your vodka, you’ll be just fine.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN KETO AND KETO-FRIENDLY?

There is often some confusion as to the difference in the term “keto” versus “keto-friendly.” While the two terms are often used interchangeably by those on keto, they actually mean two different things.

KETO DEFINITION

Used alone, keto (or ketogenic) references a food, recipe, or way of eating that is high in fat, has a moderate amount of protein, and a low (usually five or less) amount of carbs.

Common keto foods/ingredients are heavy cream, butter, avocado, and almond flour. These follow the high fat, low-carb equation mentioned above.

Generally, those eating a keto diet aim for 20g (sometimes 30g) of carbohydrates or less daily. However, they try to make 70% of their calories come from fat.

KETO-FRIENDLY DEFINITION

Keto-friendly, on the other hand, is a food or ingredient that is able to be consumed while on the keto diet. These foods/ingredients are very low in carbohydrates (3g or less) and generally have little to no fat or protein.

Some common keto-friendly products include Zevia, monk fruit sweetener, and unsweetened almond milk.

Just because an ingredient is keto-friendly, that doesn’t make it “truly keto.” It just means it is safe to eat because the carb count is low enough.

WHAT TO DRINK A KETO-FRIENDLY LONG ISLAND ICED TEA WITH

There are plenty of delicious dishes to drink a keto-friendly long island iced team with. Here are some ideas to get you started.

For more ideas, you can check out our recipe index or check out our main course recipes.

Keto-Friendly Long Island Iced Tea


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Keto-Friendly Long Island Iced Tea

Keto-Friendly Long Island Iced Tea

Yield: 1 serving
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

This keto-friendly long island iced tea is a deliciously refreshing drink that leaves out all of the sugars of the regular recipe. Easy to make and yummy!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients (except the Zevia Cola) into a glass with ice
  2. Top cola and stir
  3. Optionally, garnish with a lemon or lime wedge
  4. Drink and enjoy!

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Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1 drink
Amount Per Serving Calories 291Total Fat 0gCarbohydrates 2gProtein 0g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from an online food databse. All carbohydrate counts are calculated as net carbs instead of total. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.

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